The Formentera Council's environment office reports that two local groups—Formentera Sense Plàstics (“Plastic-free Formentera”) and Gen-Gob Eivissa, a nature and ornithology organisation—have put together a microplastics workshop for Saturday February 16 at 10.00am on es Cavall d'en Borràs beach. The day is geared to adults and children from Formentera and Eivissa.

Participants in Plastic Zero, a programme sponsored by the Formentera Council and Gen-Gob and designed to get schools on board with an initiative known as the “Sea Observers Protocol”, collect scientific data about the quantity and kind of plastics turning up on local shores. Data are sent to the “Sea Observers” national office to help paint a clearer picture the shape Spain's seas are in. Saturday's workshop will also be the chance for parents to find out about children are already doing on the subject in the classroom.

Free fareBaleària and Trasmapi ferryliners are taking part in the initiative by offering passengers who board in Eivissa a free ride to Formentera. All those interested should sign up by sending an email with their full name and town of residence to
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(Trasmapi) or
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(Baleària).

Formentera ups recycling by 5.2% in one year

Thursday, 07 February 2019 13:53

The Formentera Council's environment office reports that last year 29 per cent of the rubbish which turned up at es Cap de Barbaria's waste treatment plant was recycled, equivalent to a 5.2 per cent year-on-year increase (in 2017 the figure was 23.7 per cent). That was the message CiF environment councillor Daisee Aguilera drove home today during an 11.00am press conference in the Sala d'Actes.

Aguilera described the uptick as gradual—islanders recycled 22.8 per cent of their waste in 2016—and pinned it on an upgraded municipal collection, unflagging investment in green education and the efforts of the island's medium- and large-scale waste generators.

Door-to-door pick-upAmong the upgrades Aguilera alluded to is door-to-door collection of organic waste at 140 local businesses. The establishments accounted for 527.4 tonnes of organic waste during the central months of summer 2018—five per cent of the recycled total. The councillor called the service's roll-out “a key part of the increase” and thanked businesses for pitching in. Aguilera expressed hope that 2019, the service's second year, would see continued progress.

Councillor Aguilera also underscored a 15.2-per-cent spike in plastics collection between 2017 and 2018. She interpreted the change as fruit of “door-to-door pick-up at businesses in the nature preserve, free-of-charge wheeled bins for local businesses and an equipment upgrade funded by Ecoembes that makes it easier—particularly for employees at restaurants and supermarkets—to empty yellow bins”.

Department specialist Javier Asensio highlighted the recycling outreach being done at island schools—for instance the Be Blue/Trasmapi-backed trial roll-out of plastics-collection machines. From September to December that push netted sixteen thousand recycled plastics.

Glass and cardboardGlass waste is still the most frequently recycled and represents the heaviest of what is picked up. Of all the solid waste shipped to Formentera's transfer station from urban areas, glass made up for 9.4 per cent (997.4 tonnes) while paper and cardboard came in at 9 per cent (955.35). This figure is in large part due to door-to-door pick-up at businesses considered large-scale generators of waste.

More oversize waste recycledRecycling of large objects has grown year after year as well—13 per cent since 2017 and 74 per cent since 2015. The category includes furniture, mattresses, pallets, old boats and other plus-size discarded objects. Such objects are either taken to the processing point, the Deixalleria, by the municipal home collection service for furniture and home appliances (telephone 900 102 65), or individual islanders or businesses can drop such material off directly at the es Cap de Barbaria transfer station.

Costs and returnsAguilera expressed her satisfaction at the reduction of waste heading for landfills since 2017—the total shrank by 8.6 per cent in one year—a change which meant savings of €95,042.

The councillor said that normal and oversize rubbish at Ca Na Putxa tip on Eivissa weighed 7,510 tonnes and cost the Council €1.3 million in 2018. The administration pays €141 per tonne to ship such waste, and another €31/tonne to process it at the tip, or €172 total. Waste pick-up and the Deixalleria's operating costs must also be factored in, which in one year accounts for nearly €1.6 million.

Aguilera pointed up the returns stemming from material pick-up for integrated management systems. The administration got €161,364 for the plastics, paper and cardboard received by Ecoembes and €49,714 for glass that went to Ecovidrio, putting total returns in 2018 at €211,078, a sum that can be invested back into pick-up of recyclable glass, paper and plastics. The councillor thanked islanders for their efforts, and highlighted the financial—“and especially environmental”—benefits to recycling.

Money for renewable energy, charging stations and electric vehicles

Monday, 04 February 2019 12:14

The Formentera Council environment department reports that tomorrow, Tuesday February 5 at 7.00pm in the hall of ceremonies of the administration, the Sala d'Actes, where Balearic director general of energy Ferran Rosa will outline the new run of help for solar, photovoltaic and small-scale wind turbine technologies and e-mobility.

Environment councillor Daisee Aguilera will be on hand too, doubling down on the “local renewable energies push”. She speaks about the need to “reduce energy consumption across the power grid and with private generators and cut CO2 emissions”.

Aguilera is encouraging people from the local business community and islanders off all stripes to come out. “Assistance is available for people installing clean energies at home”, she said, “or purchasing an increasingly competitive vehicle”. Another round of assistance exists to set up private-use charging stations.

Originally scheduled for Thursday January 24, the chat was suspended due to troubles in ferry connections prevented Rosa's arrival on the island.

Information session on Formentera about funding for solar and small wind-power-generating technologies

Tuesday, 22 January 2019 15:06

Thursday January 24 the Govern's director general of energy, Ferran Rosa, together with CiF environment councillor Daisee Aguilera, will talk about the newest round of assistance for everything from solar, photovoltaic and small-scale wind turbine technologies through to electric mobility. Geared towards islanders and specialised businesses alike, the gathering is scheduled to take place at 7.30pm in the conference space of the island's dependent care facility (Centre de Dia).

The initiative is aimed at promoting clean energy and “self-consumption” (when the person or entity using the energy is the same one that produced it) and is coordinated by the Govern balear's directorate general of energy and climate change, an offshoot of the regional ministry of land, energy and mobility.

Details about the assistance can be found in Catalan at the following links:

Councillor Aguilera said islanders who come to Thursday's session will “know how to benefit from funding to keep promoting renewable energies on the island”. She highlighted an array of funding options, including money so private businesses can install charging stations to further sustainable mobility.

A total of €1.8 million in funding is available for the four islands of the archipelago, a portion of which is put up by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Applicants are eligible for reimbursement of 40 to 50 per cent (applications must be received by March 29 and work must be complete by September 20, 2019).

Who is eligible for the funding:a) Small and medium-sized businesses.

b) Non-profit organisations and business associations which operate and are headquartered in the Balearic Islands.

c) Individual homeowners and homeowners' associations who oversee installations in dwellings or other facilities in the Balearic Islands.

How much funding is available:a) Businesses, business associations and non-profit associations can receive 40 per cent back on installations of photovoltaic- and small-scale wind turbine-based technology.

b) Individual homeowners and homeowners' associations can receive 50 per cent back on installations of photovoltaic- and small-scale wind turbine-based technology.

Islanders can swap recycling points for prizes at environment office in Sant Ferran

Thursday, 10 January 2019 14:52

The environmental arm of the Formentera Council announces islanders that binned their recyclables using stations installed by Trasmapi at five locations across the island can now cash in “eco-punts” they've earned for prizes at the environment office, carrer Mallorca, 15, from 9.00am to 2.00pm.

In a pilot programme launched in September, Trasmapi put in five drop-off stations for plastics and cans at distinct locations across Formentera. All but one were shipped back earlier in the week, explained environment councillor Daisee Aguilera, but islanders can still visit the port location to ditch their recyclable tins and plastics. The transport company reports they will look at other possible actions based on review of the initiative's results. Fifteen thousand eight-hundred eighteen recyclables were collected during the effort.